tough day hiking up the granite and navigating around snow patches. We got to the ridge past the boulder field and enjoyed a nice lunch with views. #cawx #spottedatmidpen #santacruzmountains #recreateresponsibly #leavenotrace, At least a dozen major stems of this ancient Canyon Live Oak are fused together to produce an immense trunk at the base. Note that there is NO PLACE TO CAMP along the whole length of the lake unless you are comfortable with doing some serious bouldering, as there is no camping allowed between the trail and the lake. After the snow has melted, it would not be difficult to reach Granite Dome from this route. The Outbound works best with JavaScript enabled. Furthermore, the view overlooking Iceland Lake from the south is fantastic. The peak isnt very prominent on the ridge and the views are fantastic all along, although as its so flat you dont get to take in the entirety of both sides at once. The geology of the Highland Lakes is approximately 1.4 billion years old. Landmarks: . I started out from Kennedy Meadows Trailhead, bright and early, after a cool motorcycle ride in. Each site is equipped with a fire ring, picnic table, and bear boxes. Change). The resulting magma is less dense than material typically found at that depth, so it rises like oil in salad dressing. Few places on earth display the internal complexity of a batholith better than El Capitan. It's buggy as hell this time of year in sections. Enjoy this 21.2-mile out-and-back trail near Pinecrest, California. ft. home is a 3 bed, 2.0 bath property. I made breakfast and a cup of coffee at the trailhead, and set out. The route via Lower & Upper Lewis Lakes and the drainage begins in Kennedy Meadows off 108 near Sonora Pass. To the north you can see the lakes directly below the ridge and further down to Relief Reservoir. We could have brought less freeze dried food. Some of the easier routes originate from Wilson Meadow Lake (Southern Route), from Upper Lewis Lake, and from the west end of Ridge Lake.Numerous technical routes lead up the shear granite cliffs on the south side of Ridge Lake. 5 days / 4 nights, fantastic lakes + Sierra meadows, mosquitoes not too bad (early August after a dry winter). You can also camp on the summit, though water is only available from seasonal snow melt. There are also some extreme creek/river crossing as well that are to be expected in the early summer season. Please visit this link for additional information prior to your visit: No conditions reported in the past 7 days. We picked a campsite on the south side of the lake. The moon was a couple of days off full and I got up pre-drawn to watch the light change and sun rise over the lakes. The Polly Dome Lakes Trail departs from the Murphy Creek Trailhead off Tioga Pass Road. More adventurous folks can camp elsewhere on the Dome, exploring Iceland, Sardella, or Ridge Lake, taking an alternate route down to Upper Relief valley and following the trail back to Kennedy Meadows. We made our way up steeper slabs to Middle Lewis Lake, the largest lake in the Granite Balconies region. The following links provide additional information on local conditions. TUOLUMNE MEADOWS AREA Several down trees and washouts. Party of 4. ktoyama - Oct 15, . It was unbelievably beautiful, had tons of trout for fishing, and was a prime starting point to summit Granite Dome. Kennedy Meadows and Relief Reservoir trailhead to Granite Dome Lakes. Highlights of the expansion announced . It is the predominant mountain in this area with a smattering of picturesque lakes that provide both excellent camping and fishing opportunities. Most of the granite in the Sierra Nevada Batholith was emplaced between 120 and 85 million years ago during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Theres a walkway all along the backside of the dam and you can get to the other side, but I only went to the middle. Next you'll north and the west up the granite slabs towards Sardella Lake. Like the name says, Granite Dome is a massive conglomeration of granite in the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness with numerous routes, epic views, and gorgeous alpine lakes to explore, all of which are off-trail (eventually) but accessible to even a novice, multi-day backpacker. GPS route here. Cross the creek earlier than shown, at about the 6.2mi. more information on current conditions Granitic rocks of the Yosemite Valley area, California, Plutonism in the Central Part of the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California, The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park, Sierra Nevada Batholith Geologic Map Mosaic, Yosemites Iconic El Capitan Mapped in Hi-Res 3-D. Looking forward to flowers in the meadows! There is usually some not too far from the summit all year round. Granite to Gold: Discover Things to Do We hiked toward Buck Lake and ran into not only mosquitos but a May Fly hatch along the west end of Emmigrant Lake. amazing hike. The trail continues to the Glen Aulin Campsite. Admire the scene of the shimmering lake bounded by granite bluffs, and the small snowmelt cascades that feed the lake. You can walk up it, no climbing Trailhead Coordinates: 38 19'08.46"N 11939'49.26"W Elev 8897ftThe trail is kind of tricky to find. But it's much less crowded than its neighbor to the South, offering more solitude for backpacking. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 58 min to complete. . The Tioga Road runs right next to the shore for a couple of miles, past may places for picnics, paddling and . Peaceful lake and wilderness surroundings. A Wilderness Permit is required for all overnight trips to the Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg, and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas. Call the Summit ranger station at (209) 965-3434 near Pinecrest ahead of time and they will prepare a permit for you in advance. Intense whitewater everywhere, neck-deep. No trails travel into this area making it a relatively infrequently visited spot where solitude and ample room for exploration can be found. After eating breakfast, watching the sun rise, and breaking down camp, I spent a little time walking around the lakes, seeing them again in morning light, before following the drainage of Ridge Lake back down to the valley below. Day 2 - 11 miles. This is a popular trail for backpacking, camping, and fishing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The Young Lakes Loop Trail is an awesome adventure in Yosemite National Park that delivers epic vistas of the granite bluffs and alpine lakes that adorn the landscape. A free wilderness permit is required for overnight stays within the Emigrant Wilderness Area. We had Ridge Lake all to ourselves as we set up base camp. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock, which means it crystallized from molten rock, called magma, miles underground. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. After exploring the lake's shore, retrace your footing along the path back to the trailhead. Right after getting off the trail towards the lake, its so dramatic and beautiful. From the top of the saddle, veer south and aim for the second saddle with a similarly gradual route in the middle. Emigrant Wilderness is in Stanislaus National Forest, North of Yosemite. This rock, once it cools, will become the type of granite that is exposed in Yosemite. Visit our Volunteer pageto learn more. didn't have too much trouble crossing the river - would recommend closer to the Kennedy meadows end before the river splits into two. All Rights Reserved. actual mileage, closer to 40. great hike. I had the entire set of lakes all to myself. There are seven intrusive suites in Yosemite National Park. Note that the saddle to the north of the peak looks very similar when you are standing at the bottom. It is the predominant mountain in this area with a smattering of picturesque lakes that provide both excellent camping and fishing opportunities. We did Boulder hopping to find suitable route to cross. Length 11.7 miElevation gain 2,493 ftRoute type Loop. There you will find the start of the trail.This is a challenging hike without much of an actual trail to follow for the majority of it. My first time visiting this region included a hike to the top of Granite Dome with excellent 360 degree views, especially down to the lakes below. Take a look at the page Granite Dome Day Hike for more detail on our route to the summit from this campsite. Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' In these zones, the input of water-rich oceanic crust causes partial melting at the base of the crust about 25 to 30 miles below the earths surface. (2 ), Relief Reservoir, Iceland Lake, Ridge Lake. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There were no fish in this lake either though. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. night 2: layover at summit creek (did a day trip up to ridge lake) Rainier, which sit above subduction zones today. From here theres probably many different options for climbing up to the lakes below Granite Dome, but I chose to follow the trail up to Lower Relief Valley and follow the drainage up from there. --Helen Keller, Routes Heres some tips that I strongly recommend: 1. Regardless of destination, this section of trail involves detailed route finding based on topography. If you camp at Iceland, you might find a grill that my brother brought up there about 50 years ago. All our fish were caught in the creek. There are ample climbing routes for all technical abilities, ranging from easy class II scrambles to more technical class V ascents. (7), Additions & Corrections This page goes into more detail on the off-trail routes to each lake. A Wilderness Permit is required for all overnight trips to the Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg, and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas. Just below that we see Upper and Lower Relief Valleys, with Relief Reservoir, Iceland Lake, Ridge Lake, Sardella Lake and the Lewis Lakes. Stay to the right on Lake Dorothy Road, and pass the Granite Creek Connector trailhead 0.7 miles later, on your right. Once we got to the top of the rocks we headed left/east to a very gradual section to reach the ridge. Drive the Peach Loop, one of TPWDs Great Texas Wildlife Trails. 2006-2021 SummitPost.org. Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children. In fact, on separate holiday weekend trips we had Iceland and Lewis Lakes all to ourselves. We only saw 3 other groups of people doing our 5 day stay at Emmigrant Lake. Climb the ancient dome for amazing Hill Country views. im from MN and they were the worst ive seen. The East Flange Rock juts prominently over Lower Relief and is an easy scramble up and around the ridgeline from Upper Relief Valley. The views from the top of Granite Dome look out across the entire Emigrant Wilderness and there are many pristine mountain lakes nestled in the expansive and gently sloping granite slopes, polished smooth by glaciers. The ground is primarily rough granite which makes for easy climbing although a bit of bouldering may be required. Many national parks were founded for their geology, and Yosemite is known throughout the world for its exceptional high cliffs and rounded domes. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. 776 m. User Ratings Be the first to add a review! Trip report for Iceland and Ridge Lakes. Wilderness permits are required for overnight stays in the Emigrant Wilderness Area at no charge. 3 beds, 2 baths, 1687 sq. my first ever backpacking trip, made possible by hiking with two experienced friends. On the north side we could see Relief Reservoir and each of the lakes below: Iceland, Ridge, Sardella, and Lewis. The hike itself is not long (only about 2.5 miles round trip) but it takes time to find a safe route up and go around sheer walls. On the hike out I stopped at Relief Reservoir for lunch and there was a helicopter landed down near the reservoir. The named lakes of the region include theLewis Lakes (lower, middle, upper), Sardella Lake, Ridge Lake and Iceland Lake with a numerous other smaller tarns. We camped within a mile or two of where you cross the river and start on the granite, closer to Lewis Lake, and headed up to Granite dome and back to Kennedy meadows the second day. The double river crossing All trails suggested didn't seem ideal so I crossed right after the fork here (N38.235029 W119.722289. I took off my boots and waded through maybe 6" of water for part of the crossing; most of the others in my group kept their boots on and just hopped from rock to rock. Wander through meadowlands, mixed pine forest, and granite gardens on your way to the picture-perfect lakes. So typically the most popular time to climb the mountain is from June through October. *DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ROUTE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. [15 MB PDF], The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park by N. King Huber, 1987, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1595. The ascent to Granite Domes summit is fairly straightforward from the lakes. Ridge Lake is arguably the centerpiece nestled beneath the towering cliffs of Granite Dome with waterfalls splashing down into the lake from the upper reaches of the peak. Granite Dome Loop via Kennedy Meadows. Want to report conditions for this trail? This is a phenomenal trail with everything you could want and more out of an Eastern Sierra backpacking trip: views, waterfalls, meadows, woods, climbs, lakes, etc. After following a few creekbeds, the trial eventually pokes up into the alpine within a large canyon. Description. We took a look at a topo map before setting off and generally aimed for a route between snow fields, re-adjusting as needed based on boulders. Once on the ridge its fairly flat with some nice alpine wildflowers amid the volcanic rocks with some interesting rock features as one approaches the summit. In both 2012 and 2014 visits were in early June and most of the lakes were melted out. Ridge Lake can be reached either by continuing west after the first saddle in the route to Lewis Lake. Different granites have unique chemical compositions that produce different mineral proportions. It is a tough 2 day hike, especially in winter when the day ends at 5pm. The lakes areset amid granite cliffs that afford stunning vistas of the pristine lakes from above. Weather was perfect end of June. Once you reach the exposed granite of Lembert Dome, there is no trail, so follow the easiest path up to catch panoramic views of Tuolumne Meadows and the surrounding mountain range. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which includes Enchanted Rock and surrounding land, spans the border between Gillespie and Llano counties, south of the Llano River. The walk up is easy to navigate but its a straight walk up and the elevation gain was starting to take its toll on my energy level. Its farther than it appears on the map. On 7/2 it was possible to get through by walking on stones, I took off shoes once, but water was only ankles deep. TL;DR Incredible route with gorgeous scenery, but with a creek crossing that becomes an impassable river crossing early in the season and should not be attempted until the flow slows significantly. It would be a great area to make a multi-day trip out of. A group of plutons that are considered to be part of the same magmatic event and thus related are called intrusive suites. The initial hike out of Kennedy Meadows is notoriously hot, dusty, and covered in horse poo. Theres been fantastic forest wildflowers under the canopy this year in the Santa Cruz Mountains #spottedatmidpen #santacruzmountains #recreateresponsibly #leavenotrace #westerntrillium #trilliumovatum #pacifictrillium, It appears winter is starting to loosen its grip on the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is a remote location. Be sure to bring your camera. . We surveyed the wall in front of us and aimed for a spot in the middle where the boulders dipped down below a large hill of dirt and snow. We took a route southwest from our campsite, over a small hill and immediately came to a lush meadow. The scenery, rock formations and legends are magical, too! Luckily this was accomplished by noon, and I had brought my Eno hammock. $8 Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. Read through our Climbing Information before you come. Plutons are large (often covering over 400 square miles) and are typically formed by many pulses of magma over a few million years. However, Middle Lewis Lake is perhaps the most dramatic with towering granite cliffs surrounding its shores like an amphitheater. Aptly named Granite Dome is an immense granite massif with numerous micro-basins occupied by a series of stunning alpine lakes. We camped at Ridge Lake, and the view was awesome. On both of my climbs I ascended directly to the ridge from Upper Lewis Lakes. For the most part the granite is huge, smooth, and gently sloping, with a few boulder fields near to the cliffs below the ridge. Scroll through the gallery using keyboard or mouse. Please explore responsibly! 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